Eduardo Borry, head of the entity, highlighted in dialogue with Ambit that “When comparing INDEC data regarding the sale of machinery, 2021 was 10% below 2017 -which was a great year-, however, when disaggregating the participation of national industry machinery, the figure reached 40%. According to last year’s data, this trend was reversed and became exactly the opposite, that is, the share of national manufacturing within the total grew strongly. Another data provided by INDEC is that at the end of the first quarter, measured in dollars, we would be having a 45% increase in billing, therefore it is highly likely that 2022 will exceed 2017.”
When analyzing the reasons why a strong increase in sales was achieved, several manufacturers with whom Ámbito spoke explained that the government gave the sector a good boost by offering loans at a negative rate. According to Borri, “it was an important change since in the previous government the rates were 30% above inflation, which was very bad for everyone and it was very difficult to close operations.”
Lisandro Tron, CEO and founder of Fertec and North Group, one of the leading companies in the fertilizer market, explained that regarding the growth of the sector “there is not a single reading” and added that “the field is an activity that is doing well and that needs to grow and invest. That was precisely what the producer chose to protect himself against inflation. It was very important to have negative rates to make sales and because thanks to that the industry increased its productive capacity”.
The sales boom that began in 2020 made the business bigger, however behind the photo of success there are some details that deserve to be taken into account. Nelson Lambertini, president of Mainer, a company in the sector that since 1933 has been producing machinery in Bell Ville, Córdoba, explained to this medium that “the last 18 months have been very good from the commercial point of view, but very difficult from the industrial point of view. We went through many problems, including the supply of supplies, import restrictions, the difficulty of obtaining qualified labor. This means that the industrial part cannot keep up with the commercial part”.
The businessman also highlighted that “grain prices were good, there was a lot of support from the financial sector, with a strong presence of state banks that offered subsidized rates and also the campaign was not so affected by the drought.”
All the industrialists agree: they were almost two very good years but they could have been much better if the industrial part had accompanied.
Regarding credits, it is worth remembering that Banco Nación presented in Agroactiva a special line of financing at a subsidized rate for an amount of $10 billion for MiPymes producers and clients of the entity. The president of the National Bank, Edward Hecker, He explained that the new line of credit is intended for agricultural machinery of national origin, with a maximum amount of $15 million. The financing also includes a rate of 27.75% with a term of up to 48 months.
One of the phrases that flew over each of the talks with the entrepreneurs was that “even with many sales, it is possible to merge in this business.” It is that when it comes to manufacturing machinery, the problems are still present because when a buyer pays for his unit, each company must start up a commercial engineering that stands out for its complexity. In fact, almost all the industrialists consulted stated that they did not know what the real situation of the company is in terms of profitability.
Gabriel Rizotti, Commercial Manager of corn, He assured in dialogue with Ámbito that despite the sales boom “I couldn’t say if more money was earned, but the business became more complex. We all grow in infrastructure, employment levels, etc. But you have to be careful with growth and see that the market is real”.
The present is promising for the metalworking industry, but the entire agro-industrial chain stated during the exhibition that it is necessary that whoever governs understands that the agricultural business is the engine of the country. The expectation that many have is that from now on, with the expanded industrial capacity, they can start looking for business abroad, but for that new policies will be necessary where the exchange rate will be the protagonist of the discussion.
Source: Ambito
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